


We Fit Well

by Tiny_Rick



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Anger, F/M, Gen, Gideon is Spencer's father figure, I always name charecters very carefully, I hope you like her I worked really hard on her charecter, Mostly focused on the BAU team as a family rather than the romance, Relationship Stuff, Spencer Reid has a badass girlfriend, The team is super supportive, a lot of work went into researching and choosing her name!, her name is pronounced Eh-Kid-Nah, lots of cute fluff, tell me what you think!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:21:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22575505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_Rick/pseuds/Tiny_Rick
Summary: Spencer is finally picking up the pieces of his life after the Tobias Hankel incident. He's smiling more, kicked his drug problem, and is on his way back to being the doctor everyone knows and loves. He's even found a new girlfriend! And everyone agrees the rough-and-tumble girl might even help him out of his shell.Well everyone except Gideon. Why has he been so tough on his metaphorical son lately? Does he no longer care? He seems to care enough to bash Spencer's decisions.The team is a family, so can they help their oldest member put the past behind him? Or will he drive away his son?
Relationships: Jason Gideon & Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid & The BAU Team, Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s), The BAU Team - Relationship
Comments: 23
Kudos: 62





	1. Meet Me Outside, I'm The One With The Kill Bill Style Motorcycle

“Spence, do you need a ride home?” JJ asked, picking up her bag on her way out of the bullpen. But the young genius shook his head, shoving odds and ends into his messenger bag.

“Come on pretty boy, it’s one in the morning.” Derek urged. “I don’t wanna worry about you taking the metro home this late, there are some weirdos there.” He noted. They’d been working on a horrible case for the past three weeks, and it took until one in the morning for them to push through the case files so they could finally put the awful chapter behind him.

The group had been a bit overprotective over Spencer for a while now. After the Hankel incident he’d become a shell of his former self. He was struggling, and drowning. And none of them helped him… he just floundered until he fixed it himself. But now he was back, Spencer had that goofy smile again, and he was back to reading millions of books and rambling about statistics. And just the thought of that made Morgan want to hug his little brother, made Garcia want to cook him dozens of casseroles to try and get him to gain some weight back, and made JJ want to spoil him like he was her baby. Hotch had been the first one to comment on Reid’s excellent work on cases, trying to build up the confidence the youngest agent had lost. Even Prentiss, who didn’t know Reid nearly as well, was giving him praising words and kind smiles, showing subtle support.

In fact, the only one who’d been withdrawn has been Gideon. Which was concerning to say the least. He’s been harder on Spencer, keeping a close eye on him and slowing fizzling out the father-son bond they’d worked so hard to build.

“Let me give you a ride, Spence.” JJ repeated.

“It’s okay.” Reid assured, smiling really big. “I’m not taking the train, I have a ride.” He promised. And he earned some confused looks from his friends. Gideon stopped writing, but didn’t raise his head to look at Spencer. “Yeah, is it so hard to believe I have friends outside of work?” He jabbed, clearly joking.

“You’re the one who insists on spending weekends alone with your books.” Morgan teased right back, and Spencer shrugged, the group making their way outside. Before leaving the bullpen Spencer stopped to make sure Gideon was coming too. He’d been spending his nights there recently, and Reid didn’t need this much worry to distract him from his recovery.

“He’ll be fine. But we need to go home and get some sleep.” Morgan assured, and Reid nodded.

“You’re right. We’ve been working for two days straight.” he recalled. The minute the case had been cracked it had taken time to track down the unsub and catch him. Usually if his mentor was staying to work late, Spencer would push himself to go above and beyond and do the same. But he’d been easier on himself, and Morgan didn’t want that to stop. He needed to show himself kindness above all else.

“Wait, wait for me.” Garcia called from her bat cave, her heels clicking on the floor. Derek laughed and put his arm around.

“I don’t wanna be anywhere without you, baby girl.” He laughed, and Spencer rolled his eyes when she responded with something much more dirty.

Gideon followed the group once they’d left the bullpen, heading down to the lobby. “So where’s your ride?” Prentiss asked, seeing Spencer look up and down the street.

“I don’t know… she said she’d be here.” Reid stated. And JJ looked over at Gracia.

“She.” She mouthed, and Garcia just nodded, her mouth agape. But Gideon did not seem pleased at all. But Spencer didn’t notice, because a big smile spread across his face when a yellow motorcycle pulled up onto the sidewalk.

“Echidna!” Spencer grinned, waving excitedly. And the rider took off her helmet, shaking out her afro from its sort-of stuck position from the helmet. She was extremely tall, noticeably more than Spencer, when she stood he had to look up at her. And she looked like she could lift him with one arm.

“Hey Spencer, are you ready to go?” She asked. And Reid nodded, putting his hands on her tattooed arm and smiling big.

“Yeah! Guys this is Echidna, we started hanging out before that last case!” He explained.

“It’s uh… really great to meet you.” Morgan finally piped up. He then looked at Spencer. “You, Dr. Reid, are going to get on a motorcycle?” He asked in disbelief. And Spencer laughed.

“I don’t want to, but she ruined her car.” He quipped, and Echidna rolled her eyes.

“I was late for ONE oil change, and the thing broke down on me.” She complained. “It’d cost more than that old thing was worth to fix it.”

“So instead of a new car… you buy this death machine?” Spencer inspected it.

“It was cheaper, takes way less gas-”

“Kills approximately double the amount of people killed in car accidents a year.” Spencer accused.

“You want a ride or not?” She asked, trying not to smile, and Spencer narrowed his eyes, taking her spare helmet.

“You’re selling this thing, and getting a car… one with  _ working  _ airbags.” He told her, climbing on and holding onto her waist tightly, terrified. His team was laughing at his little accusations and the way he tapped the top of the bike like it was gonna explode.

“Yeah, I’d have to agree with him on that one.” Hotch admitted, with a nod from JJ.

“Let the girl ride her bike.” Prentiss elbowed her friend, and Echidna laughed.

“Your friends are cool.” She told him, and Reid blushed. “We should hang out sometime.” She offered.

“Oh we MUST hang out sometime.” Garcia insisted. “And you drive that murder bike carefully with our baby genius on the back.” She waved her finger and Spencer blushed a dark red. This reaction caused most of them to laugh, but Gideon had had enough.

“Spencer, a word before you go.” Gideon told him, and Spencer looked at him a little confused and a little worried.

“Uh… sure. One second Echidna.” He promised her, and hopped off to meet his mentor.

“You’re not going home with that girl.” He wasted no time saying it, shocking Reid and the rest of the team, who could hear but tried not to show their reactions.

“What are you talking about?” Spencer asked, confused. And Gideon took a breath.

“We deal with bad news for a living, you should be smart enough to know it when you see it.” he snapped, and Spencer flinched at the harsh tone.

“This has nothing to do with work.” Reid retorted. “She is NOT bad news. She’s just adventurous… I like her, she’s fun.” He smiled and Gideon got angry.

“Spencer, adventurous means wild. And that’s not what you are, this is a bad fit, I don’t want you seeing her.” He lowered his voice when he figured out the team could hear. Echidna as well, but she was trying really hard not to look over at them.

“Well it’s a good thing you’re not my dad, or else I might be inclined to listen to you.” Spencer snapped, shoving the helmet back on his head and sitting behind Echidna.

“Is… everything okay?” She asked.

“We’ll talk later, can we please just go?” He asked, and she nodded. Kicking off from the sidewalk and speeding away.

“Jason,” Hotch started “what was-”

“Go home, it’s late. I’ll see you all on monday.” He cut Hotch off and walked to the parking garage. The rest of the team stayed still on the sidewalk, traded confused and concerned looks.

“Was that concerning? Or just really awkward?” Garcia asked, and JJ shrugged.

“He’ll get over it.” Hotch assured. “Let’s go home.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Woah, my legs feel like jelly.” Spencer laughed when Echidna helped him off the motorcycle. “Thanks for driving slow.” He grinned at her.

“Maybe you’re right about the bike… but maybe not.” She shrugged and Spencer rolled his eyes. Echidna stayed quiet for a minute before putting her arm over his shoulders. “So… that was Gideon, huh?” She asked, and Spencer nodded. “Why was he being so… how do I put this nicely… dick-ish?” Echidna asked and Spencer groaned, throwing his head back.

“I don’t know! He’s been like this for a while! He treats me like a child, and he thinks he’s my dad. I’m an adult and I can make choices for myself. But he’s just so… AGH!” Reid cut himself off with a groan. And Echidna laughed.

“He’s been  _ like  _ a dad to you though, he worries. Give it some time, I don’t want you to have to choose between me and your family.” She told him. “Besides, I rolled in wearing a torn up jacket on a motorcycle. I’d think I was a punk too.” Echidna assured, and Spencer laughed.

“You  _ are  _ a punk.” he smiled, letting her pull him into a hug and quick kiss. “Such a punk, I can't believe I let you get to me.”

“You love it.” She teased, and followed him to the door to his apartment complex.

“It’s not just this though. He’s been hard on me during work too. I put together the most accurate geographic profile of my career during this past case, and it earned me a twenty minute lecture about how I should have been working faster. He’s never been like this before, I don’t think he even has a real problem with you, he just wants a reason to be disappointed in me. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.” He sighed, ducking his head. “But I still… want his approval, is that weird?” Spencer asked, and Echidna shook her head.

“No, I’ll tell you what,” she started “we’ll hang out as a group and I’ll meet your whole team. I’ll show him I’m serious about you and I’ll win him over by the end of the night.”

“What if he’s mean to you? You shouldn’t have to deal with that.” Spencer told her.

“I’d deal with way more if it means I get to keep hanging out with you.” She promised him, and Spencer’s face got dusted a cute pink as he looked away.

“So… you’re serious about me?” He asked, looking hopeful but trying not to let it show too much. And Echidna laughed, scooping him up bridal style and making him give a surprised yelp. She then held him in her arms for a moment, looking like she was in deep thought.

“Yeah. You fit well.”


	2. A Case Going Poorly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two yay! The team gets called away for a case, and Gideon's new behavior hardly stays out of the way. Mostly case centered and a little bit of exposition for the next few chapters. Stay tuned for next chapter where some drama ensues!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this one! Please comment and let me know what you think it means the world to me!!!!

“Gideon, can we talk for a minute?” Hotch asked nonchalantly, waiting for the nod from his senior before walking in and closing the door behind him. “Was everything okay last night?” He inquired carefully, and Gideon reused eye contact.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll deal with Spencer.” He stated. And Hotch thought this over carefully.

“I’m not sure there’s a problem to be dealt with.” Hotch confessed. “Jason, is everything alright?” He asked, sitting down across from him and the older man just kept plugging away at a case file. After a minute of writing he put his pen down and leaned back looking across his desk at Hotch with a hard glare.

“Aaron-” Gideon was cut off when JJ opened the door to the office. She then got a concerned look, realizing she interrupted something.

“I’m sorry I-”

“It’s fine, JJ.” Gideon had a snappish tone to his voice, and the woman stopped herself from showing shock, having never heard him speak like that.

“We have a case, the others are already waiting in the conference room.” She told them, and then left the room. Hotch glanced over at Gideon, but it appeared he had no desire to finish their conversation, before getting up and leaving the office to follow JJ. when they made it into the conference room Spencer was already at the round table, telling Derek a story with a big smile, flapping his hands excitedly.

“I know it wasn’t my decision but she really cared that it worried me sick.” Spencer explained.

“I can’t believe you got her to give up that awesome bike.” Morgan shook his head.

“A motorcycle is not practical, and besides I’d be worried too. As cool as they look I’ve seen horrible accidents with those things.” Garcia defended, earning a ‘thank you’ from Spencer.

“The case, please.” Gideon spoke up, making Spencer jump and then look fearful under his hard gaze. He’d never had his father figure look so disappointed in him before, and it sent a horrible feeling all through his stomach.

“R-right,” Garcia shook off the initial feeling and started the briefing. “Six bodies were found all a different number of miles apart on highway 1-80 Nevada.”

“Highway 1-80 is known for a number of disappearances, it’s become an urban legend.” Reid started, recalling the stories from his childhood. “And six bodies, miles apart-”

“Each killed by asphyxiation, careful work to not leave noticeable marks on the body.” Prentiss noticed, looking through the case file, earning a nod from Reid.

“We could be looking at some sort of messed up urban explorer, trying to make a story.” Derek suggested.

“We can’t rule it out, but the MO is clear this is all the same killer.” Hotch agreed. “Reid, you’re from Nevada, what sort of stories circled the state about this highway?” He asked, and Spencer couldn’t suppress a bitter laugh.

“All kinds of stories. Sometimes people would say it was kids who mutated from all the Vegas pollution and pulled drivers off the highway and ate them. Other people said it was the Aliens from Area 51. Once the first missing person case went cold the rumors and stories went wild. We might want to keep this quiet when we’re there, people really talk about this.”

“Reid, comprise a list of all the urban legends associated with highway 1-80. Everything you remember and everything else you can find. The flight is four hours, I want it done before we land.” Gideon demanded, and stood up.

“I… yes, sir.” Spencer just spoke, clamming his mouth shut. The group looked concerned but kept their mouths shut, before Hotch gave the order to be on the jet in twenty, and the group dispersed.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What is wrong with Gideon?” Garcia asked, waiting until she was sure the senior agent wasn’t around. “Why is he being so awful to Spencer? And he still hasn’t apologized for being so rude to Echidna last night. She was sweet, and he asked Spencer to break up with her right in front of her.”

“Baby girl I have no idea what’s going on with him.” Derek agreed. “He’s been acting so off since…” and Morgan hesitated. “Since the Hankel case.” He said quietly. “Just give him some time.” He tried.

“It’s not him I’m worried about.” Garcia sighed, glancing over Morgan’s shoulder at Spencer. He’d already begun the list at his desk, waiting for Morgan to tell him he was ready to go so they could make it to the jet together.

“Let’s go Pretty Boy.” Morgan decided, and Spencer smiled warmly, picking up his go bag and scampering out the door. Before Morgan could follow him out the door Garcia grabbed his hand.

“Derek, he just got his life back. And it was so hard for him. He doesn’t deserve this, I don’t want it to set him back.” She begged.

“I’ll look out for him.” Derek promised, earning a smile from his best friend.

“And make sure he eats more!” Garcia said this for what felt like the hundredth time that week as Derek left to follow Reid.

“What took you?” Reid asked, waiting for Morgan in the SUV after he made it into the parking garage.

“Garcia wanted me to tell you, you have to eat more.” Derek grinned at the exasperated look that crossed Spencer’s face.

“I was this thin before!” He insisted, then closed his eyes. “I appreciate her so much but… Morgan I can’t… I can’t eat another casserole… I… I’m not strong enough, it’s all the time she drops them off just… all the time.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Our unsub dumped another two bodies, twelve miles apart, four from the last dump site, still on highway 1-80. Both at the same time, but the first one was dead four days longer.” Hotch put down the new files in front of the team and Spencer didn’t waste any time before he delved into it and kept plugging away at his map.

“So this person waited to dump the next body until he had a second body… not even to dump them together?” Morgan asked perplexed.

“He’s dumping them at each prior site of a disappearance or urban legend surrounding highway 1-80.” Spencer began, not looking up from his map and notes. He got in the same headspace he did when he was really into a rambling, and he wasn’t about to stop unless somebody made him. “The first site was the disappearance of Lacey Jones, that was when the rumors of Area 51 started.”

“She didn’t show up on missing persons reports.” Prentiss recalled.

“She wasn’t missing.” Reid continued. “She was gone less than a night then came running home claiming something tried to abduct her. The story spread like wildfire, people love Area 51 stories. The next sight was an actual disappearance, and so were the next two, that’s when the mutant children rumor began.” Spencer kept talking, connecting each dump sight to each separate happening, putting little marker on the map. “Morgan could have been right about a disturbed urban explorer trying to make a story.”

“There was a kid at the high school we visited, he kept bringing up all these other stories.” Gideon recalled. “We should ask him a few questions.” He decided, and the team agreed. When he saw Spencer gathering up his messenger bag he stopped him. “Stay back, keep working on the geographical profile.”

“O-okay.” Spencer agreed. That request wasn’t too far out of the ordinary, and there was work that needed to be done Spencer would be best at back at the station. But something about the way he said it radiated ‘ _ stay here and keep out of trouble’. _

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The case was wrapped up quickly after the team went back to question the high school senior. He’d been on a killing spree since the summer before, hiding the bodies in his father’s industrial truck freezer and dumping the bodies after he did his research on each site. His father passed out drunk every single day by noon, so he never noticed his son’s obvious strange behavior. It was likely all of this was for a deranged form of attention, but it was emotionally taxing to profile these types of killers; children. So once the case was done the team just quietly made their way back to the jet, wanting to erase the past three weeks from their minds.

Killers who kill for this unhinged desire for glory don’t go down easy. And Hotch had to take the shot. The kid survived the bullet through the neck and the team left at hearing he was in critical condition and put in a maximum security juvenile hall hospital, to be transferred to the prison after his recovery.

“Reid, are you alright?” Spencer looked up at Hotch, who sat down across from him.

“Are you? You were the one who had to take the shot… you could have killed a kid today.” He said blatantly. And Hotch nodded.

“I’m aware.” He assured. “But you seem just as disturbed by that as I do.” Hotch explained. Spencer sighed and looked at him with those big hazel eyes.

“Do you think… if I had thought or worked a little faster-”

“Stop. You did everything you could. So did I. And so did the rest of the team.” Hotch interrupted, knowing exactly where this insecurity was stemming from. “You can’t do this to yourself, none of what happens at this job is your fault.” He explained. And Spencer swallowed hard, but nodded, he then leaned forward and gave Hotch a very fast and awkward (yet strangely comforting and endearing) pat on the shoulder.

“Y-you too.” He smiled awkwardly and it earned a happy look from his boss.

Morgan had paused his music to spy on the two, not wanting to eavesdrop but concerned for the both of them after the case. But the direction the conversation went made Derek smile, and he took off his headphones, letting the others know he was part of the conversation. “So any weekend plans for when we land?” He asked the group, deciding he was bored with his music and other pastimes. He wanted a conversation topic to lighten the mood, and it worked, cause once he mentioned it Spencer perked up.

“I was actually hoping to ask you all something!” He clasped his hands together nervously and began fiddling with his fingers. “Echidna really liked meeting you guys a while back, but it got cut so short and then we had to run off to this case. We wanted to know if you guys wanted to go to dinner as a group, so she could get to know you all.” Reid asked hopefully.

“You’re still seeing her.” Gideon spoke, and his tone was displeased.

“Yes. I am.” Spencer had a snap to his own tone, and he bristled. “She’s been keeping in touch this whole case, she likes to make sure I’m okay. I haven’t been able to talk to her much… but it’s nice to have somebody back home who cares.” He explained, his face flushed a bit red.

“That’s really sweet, Spencer.” Prentiss told him, and he gave her a smile.

“She’s been so great through all of this. It would mean a lot if you guys could come.” He said hopefully and (most) of his team responded with praise.

“We’d love to, let us know when.” Hotch assured, and Reid smiled. He then almost fell off of his chair when Morgan clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“I can’t wait to ask her about her new lover boy.” Derek teased, and Spencer just scrunched up his face, then when he saw his friends stifling laughter he cracked a smile. But the smile faded fast when he saw Gideon look away and start on his case files, not saying a word.

Spencer waited for the rest of the team to go back to their own activities before taking a breath and going to sit next to his mentor. “Uhm, Gideon… you’ll come, right?” Spencer asked nervously. “I mean… I know you haven’t…” He cut himself off and thought of his next words carefully when he saw the way Gideon glanced at him. “I… I’d really like you to come talk to her, get to know her.” He spoke, trying not to let his insecurity show. Gideon was always someone he’d felt safe to be vulnerable around, but lately he’d been so different. But he still wanted his father-- even if he wasn’t really his father-- to meet the woman he was falling in love with.

“We’ll see if we can make the time.” Gideon said blatantly, and Spencer felt like he could cry if he let himself. “There’s still work to do, go get started.”

“Gideon…” Spencer started, but the older man looked at him harshly. “...Yes sir.”


	3. family dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> spencer and echidna have a nice evening to introduce her to his team! but one guest seems to have better plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's a lot of insight to the type of relatonship spencer and echidna have, at this point because it's after the hankel incident she's becoming his rock when he really needs it. but in the next chapter i'm hoping you'll see how he's strong for her. but i'm trying to take the story one chapter at a time so let me know what you think!!! this chapter is mostly fluff and a little bit of feels, not so much angst, but please comment!!!!

“Should we make food or should I order out?” Spencer asked, but before Echidna could respond he fluttered to the other side or the living room and he was fixing up the coffee table. “Is my apartment always this messy? Echidna, do I look okay?” He spun around and she took him by the shoulders.

“Spencer, relax.” She told him. “Take a few breaths and sit down. There’s no reason for you to be so panicked, these people are your family and they wanna hang out with you and meet your girlfriend.” Echidna explained, and Spencer breathed deeply before leaning his head on her shoulder. “What has you this worked up?” She asked, wrapping her arms around his thin shaky frame.

“Gideon.” He mumbled. “This last case was so awful, the unsub was child again and everytime we thought we were getting closer, a conclusion  _ I made  _ turned out to be wrong… and he looked at me like he was so disappointed I wasn’t living up to any of the expectations he’d worked so hard to set for me.” Spencer cut himself off and promptly burst into tears, letting Echidna wrap him up in a big hug and hush him.

“I know, I know.” Was all she could really say. After a moment of comforting words his sniffles stopped and she felt him relax against her.

“M’sorry.” He mumbled.

“You don’t need to be sorry, sweet thing, you’re allowed to feel.” She laughed a little at him and he nodded, wiping his eyes. “I wanted to talk to you about the case too, but you’ve been so stressed I didn’t want to worry you.” Echidna finally piped up, holding his hand tightly. Spencer looked at her confused before she continued. “I know you were gone for a few weeks and you were under a lot of stress, and Gideon hasn’t been helping. But I wanna help you, you had another nightmare last night and I want to know, has this case brought up any cravings for-”

“No! No I swear!” Spencer jumped nearly a full foot in the air and started waving his hands.

“Spencer I’m not accusing you of anything.” She promised, taking his hands again. “This is gonna be hard for you and I only want to help. There won’t be any judgment I swear.” Echidna promised, and Spencer took a shaky breath.

“I… they weren’t cravings exactly, for dilaudid at least… but I got that same shaky anxious feeling I got and it just made me think of it… and then that made my anxiety worse because I thought if I kept thinking about it I’d start craving and then relapse but I couldn’t stop thinking about it…” He took a breath as he trailed off.

“So it was more of a panic?” She asked, trying to understand. She hid her relief from that statement, panic attacks weren’t fun but they were easier than drug cravings, at least for her to help him with. And he nodded a slight look of guilt crossed his face so she kissed it away. “None of this is your fault, Spencer.” She told him, in a very serious tone.

“Thank you…” He whispered. “I… there’s a meeting Thursday night and… I know I normally like to do it alone but I’ve just felt so unstable lately and I-I-”

“I’ll come with you.” She promised, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to say it just yet. “And then we’ll go to the diner or something and have a nice relaxing night.” She continued. Spencer melted a bit and fell forward into her arms, taking a deep breath as he felt the tension leave his body.

“I love you.” He mumbled, and then he froze, pulling away from her with a panicked look. Neither of them had said  _ that  _ before. It had only been two months, and they were supposed to say it in a magical romantic way. Not after he broke down crying because he was scared and anxious. How pathetic was that?

Spencer kept his mouth clamped shut and refused eye contact. He pulled his hand away harshly when he felt Echidna try and reach out for it. “I… I’m sorry I… I shouldn’t… um…” Spencer felt himself start to breath heavier and he tried to calm himself. But he felt hands take his face and lift his head, and then she kissed him very gently, but with the same type of passions she had before. Nothing changed, still no judgment, and the same amount of love.

“You little shit, I was gonna say it first.” Echidna told him with a smile when she pulled away, and Spencer couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“When were you planning on saying it?” He asked, trying to stop his giggles, but she kept giving him light kisses that made him laugh more.

“Now is good.” She decided, and gave him another deep kiss. “I love you, so much, Spencer.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You think he’s okay?” Garcia asked, walking up to Spencer’s front door with JJ and Derek. “He seemed so messed up from that last case-- Hankel is just always on his mind-- and Gideon isn’t helping.” She stressed. JJ and Morgan exchanged concerned looks as Penelope knocked on the door.

“Even if he seems messed up, just stay supportive.” Morgan explained. And then the door swung open and Spencer greeted them with that big lopsided grin that his friends had missed so much in the last months.

“You guys are here!” He smiled, jumped on his toe and gave JJ a big hug. “I’m so happy you’re all here now tonight really is perfect!” Reid exclaimed, much more open than he usually is. The group looked a bit confused as he pulled away.

“You seem to be in good spirits.” Garcia smiled and Spencer’s goofy smile grew bigger.

“Of course I am! Come on Echidna just got back with dinner!” He hurried inside, followed by his friends. Hotch was already there, drinking a glass of wine as he held a conversation with Echidna.

“I’m not sure I understand.” Hotch was saying with a confused tone. “You sift through the water to find minerals? Isn’t everything at the bottom of the lake a mineral?”

“No I’m looking for specific minerals.” She explained.

“What is it that you do for a living?” Hotch finally asked.

“I own an auto shop a few miles away.”

“Then what were you looking for at the bottom of the lake?” Hotch asked, confusion wrinkled his features. “What kind of mineral did you need?”

“It was a yellow diamond. My mom’s ring I told her I’d fix the band with my welder, then I walked home from my shop and I was checking out the work I did and I dropped it. It bounced right off the sidewalk into the lake.”

“Then why did you tell me you were looking for minerals? Why didn’t you just start with the story about the ring?” He asked exasperated, and Echidna shrugged. Hotch then quickly finished his glass of wine, earning a laugh from the group that just entered. Derek took a seat and poured himself some wine as the group started chatting. Garcia quickly bombarded Echidna with questions about herself, her work, and of course Spencer.

“Baby girl, quit embarrassing Reid.” Morgan told her, and Penelope waved him off. “But I would like to know how you two met?” Derek followed up with. But before Spencer could respond there was another knock at the complex door and he jumped up excitedly.

“Just a second, Morgan.” Reid began. “He showed up!” Morgan barely heard Spencer whisper under his breath after he jumped up and made his way to the door. “Gid- Oh… hey Prentiss.” Spencer’s tone went flat and his shoulders seemed to deflate.

“Sorry to be such a disappointment.” She ribbed, and Spencer jumped.

“No! No, no, no! I’m happy you’re here it’s just-”

“Reid, it’s okay, I get it.” Emily assured, and then gave him a warm smile. “It’s early, I’m sure he’ll show up. He knows how important this is to you.” She promised, and he smiled, inviting her and and walking ahead to take out plates for everybody so they could eat. As Spencer passed Hotch, Emily gave him a hard look. “If he knows what's good for him, he’d  _ better  _ show up.” She mumbled, gritting her teeth.

“So you were gonna tell us how you met?” Hotch reminded, trying to deflect Spener’s attention from Gideon’s absence. This seemed to work, because the young genius’ face lit up and he practically jumped over to latch onto Echidna’s arm.

“It’s such a great story! It makes me so happy!” He started, with a big grin and flapped his hand up and down. “So I normally take the subway around and considering she owns her own auto shop, she’s terrible at car maintenance.” He began.

“It’s a matter of remembering to.” Echidna shrugged. “It was like the fifth time my car broke down too, so I took the subway and he was there too.”

“Yeah!” Spencer piped up. “And then we sat next to each other and started talking and… hmm… I guess that’s really all that happened.” He realized, thinking carefully to himself. This earned a laugh from Morgan.

“ _ That _ was the ‘great story’ that makes you ‘so happy’?” He asked in a teasing tone, and Prentiss whacked him on the head.

“Shut up, you’re such a dick.” She muttered, and the team bagan throwing teasing words at Morgan.

“How many romantic ways have you met a girl, Morgan?” JJ asked. “Not including bars and drunk encounters.” She added, and the older man rolled his eyes.

“Okay, okay, I get it. None of us are all that romantic.” He decided, and the group took that as fact, nods spreading around the table.

“Cheers to that.” Echidna started, raising her wine glass. “We’re all terrible at romance!”

“Here, here.” Hotch smiled and they all leaned in for cheers, laughter broke out and the group ate and chatted.

Spencer kept relatively quiet the entire evening, his eyes kept darting to the door and checking the time. Echidna glanced over and saw Spencer tugging the hem of his sweater vest nervously, waiting. “Hey, Spence, I got your favorite.” She said quickly, noting he didn’t make a plate for himself yet. “Here, fresh tamales.” She succeeded in diverting his attention and watched him take a bite of one of his favorite foods.

“This place is really good.” JJ started, keeping the conversation going.

“Echidna’s father is from Mexico. How’s he doing?” Spencer asked, and Echidna smiled.

“He’s good, he’ll be in the states next month.” She explained. “My mother is from Egypt, she came over here and met him. But they divorced after he moved back to Mexico City to take care of my grandma. She wanted to raise me in America, more family here.”

“The rest of your family also came from Egypt?” Hotch asked, and she nodded.

“Yeah, she remarried my other mom not too long ago. My dad wants to move back here to be close to us, once my grandma passes. We’ve been super close for our whole lives. We’re all in some part of Virginia.”

Hotch noted the look of contentment that passed over Reid’s face when Echidna began talking about her family. It was never something he said, but Hotch could tell a big family is something he always wanted. It was lonely, just Spencer growing up with his mother, and a father who didn’t care enough to stay. And sometimes it felt like Spencer didn’t even have his mother, some days she was just so far gone. His team was his family, of course, but something about it was just different. He didn’t need to worry about cases or serial killers with Echidna, he could have somebody to come home to after these events. So he didn’t have to be all alone anymore.

“Spence, have you told them about the Egypt trip yet?” Echidna asked. And Reid jumped excitedly.

“I was going to!” He exclaimed. He then turned happily to the group. “At some point, we don’t know when yet, Echidna is going to take me to Egypt! There’s this lecture tour on the Great Pyramids and ancient architecture I’ve been dying to go on, and I applied and got accepted! They told me I could bring somebody so while we’re there she’s going to show me where her mom grew up. It’s nowhere near the lecture tour, further south, but we’re gonna make the time.” Spencer jumped, thrilled.

“Reid that’s fantastic!” Hotch exclaimed, recalling the lecture tour the young doctor had ranted about for over forty-five minutes when he first heard of it, years ago. He’s never had the confidence to apply and go for it, always making the excuse that they need him at the BAU. “You’ve got a ton of days banked, let me know as soon as you set a date and I’ll be sure it goes through. You deserve some time off.”

“Thanks, Hotch.” Spencer got a happy smile before jumping up. “Here, let me show you the book I studied for it!” He ran to his bedroom excitedly, hearing Echidna and the others laugh fondly. Before he could make it back to the dining room, Hotch stopped him in the hallway, away from the others.

“Spencer,” he began, and the young man looked at him with big eyes. “I know what a big deal this is to you, how much you like this woman. And I know the past year hasn’t been easy for you, but I want you to know how proud I am of you. For everything.” Hotch told him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing an amazing job, with everything.”

Spencer felt his eyes get a little misty and he tried to compose himself. “I… thank you, Hotch, thank you so much.” He smiled big and felt a warm happiness spread through his chest. And Aaron gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

“Come on, you owe us all a Reid-rant about that book you’re holding.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thanks again for having us-- it was so nice to meet you Echidna.” JJ gave her a hug before leaving, the much taller woman bending down to return it.

“You guys are great, I knew my guy had a great family.” She laughed, before waving at her new close friends and shutting the door. When Echidna made it back to the living room Spencer was sitting on the couch with his head down, twisting his fingers nervously. “Babe? You okay?” she started gently, sitting down next to him.

“Yeah, I…” Spencer cut himself off and her heart broke when she saw tears in his eyes. “He… he didn’t show up.” He mumbled. “I-I told him how much I wanted him here… I texted him a bunch of times and he… he didn’t even bother to make an excuse.” Spencer’s lip wobbled a little bit and Echidna wrapped him up in a big hug, squishing his shoulders tightly and kissing his hair.

“I’m so sorry, Spencer.” She mumbled. “You deserve more, we had a great night, I  _ love  _ your family.” She promised, and Spencer looked up hopefully.

“Really?” He asked, and she nodded. “They love you too… it’s all I could have hoped for but…” Echidna waited for him to answer. “I wanted my dad to be part of it…” And he said this part so quietly she almost couldn’t hear it. So she just wrapped him up in a bigger hug and held him tight, not knowing what else to say, so she just stayed with him for as long as he needed her there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think and please comment!!!!


	4. What to do when you love someone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took so long to get out! I've had a pretty bad writers block for a while and I've been working on this chapter for a long time. some drama happens and you get some insight, i hope you guys like it! It took me ages and took a lot of rewriting so please please PLEASE comment and let me know what you think!

“I can’t believe I’m actually dropping everything to go on a trip.” Spencer started, looking at his and Echidna’s packed up backs on the curb as they waited for the airport shuttle. Echidna was busy kissing him along his jaw as he tried to squirm away enough to read the itinerary for when they landed in Egypt. “I’m still so unsure about leaving the team.” He confessed.

“They’ll be fine, you said Hotch was happy to give you the time off.” Echidna reminded, and Spencer just nodded in agreement, letting her take the itinerary from his hands. “So we’ll be landing late, and then the next morning I’m going to meet my aunt while you have your first few lectures. Then she wanted to meet you and take us to lunch, and we’ll go to the last lecture together.” She offered, punctuating with a kiss to his head. Spencer was practically melting under all the casual affection, but he jumped when the shuttle pulled up and excitedly grabbed two of the bags.

“Ready to go?” He asked her with a but of a shy smile, almost nervous she’d back out before they even got to leave. But she returned his smile and took the remaining bags, heading into the shuttle.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Gideon walked into his office that morning, he felt like most of the team was still being bitter about him not showing up to Spencer’s gathering. “When Reid gets in, send him to my office, please, I have to ask him something.” He said offhandedly to Morgan.

“Pretty boy took a vacation. First real one since he started working here.” Morgan explained, laughing a bit at his overachiever, metaphorical little brother.

“He went alone?” Was Gideon’s first question, but Derek shook his head.

“Nah, Echidna took him on a romantic little escape. It was sweet, the kid needed a break.” He explained, but Gideon had stopped listening and began to make his way up to Hotch’s office.

“Hotch, did you approve vacation time for Reid?” Gideon asked.

“Yeah, he was planning on taking this lecture tour later in the year, he told us all about it the other night. But a slot opened up last minute for this round and he asked to go, I thought he could use the rest.”

“It takes two weeks to process a request.” Gideon added.

“He’s still recovering from everything that happened with Hankel. I told him not to worry about it and pulled a few strings because I thought some time away, not just in his home recovering from injuries, but  _ away,  _ would be good for him.” Aaron started. “He’s finally started to be himself again.”

“Spencer is  _ fine.”  _ Gideon insisted, and Hotch gave him a hard look.

“Jason don’t do this.” He threatened. “You know how much Spencer was and still is struggling. You think he’s just over it?”

“Spencer is a genius.” Gideon said flatly. “A prodigy who I’ve invested countless hours into making a profiler. He’s capable of bouncing back.”

“Jesus fucking christ- Jason he’s a human being!” Hotch snapped. “Not your little child prodigy to do everything at your request perfectly. He’s a person, and he gets fried out and scared and confused and you’ve been treating him like garbage when what he needs is support from his  _ father-” _

“His  _ father  _ walked out on him when he was ten, I’m  _ not  _ his dad so stop putting all his baggage on  _ me.”  _ Gideon hissed in annoyance, and something in Hotch snapped as he looked at Gideon with rage.

“Get out.” Hotch muttered. “Sort out your  _ goddamn _ priorities.” He commanded, before taking a seat. “We’ll call if we have a case.” He mumbled the last part, not wanting to see his friend until he figured himself out and stopped acting so different. Gideon muttered something and left the office, closing the door a bit too hard behind him.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Echidna rolled over in bed and felt an empty spot next to her. She sat up quickly and looked to the open balcony door where Spencer sat, his arms wrapped tight around himself, looking out over the houses and streets. “Spence?” Echidna asked softly, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. Spencer jumped and nearly let out a fearful yell before putting his hand over his own mouth on instinct. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” She told him. Spencer looked at her for a moment before sighing in relief.

“It’s okay, I…” Spencer turned to look back over the balcony. “I couldn’t sleep and… the stars are so much clearer out here.” He mumbled, looking at the sky.

“Wait till you see the White Desert.” Echidna gave him a small smile. “I went there on a vacation with my parents when I was a kid, I was so little and I remember it so clearly. You’ll love it.” She moved next to him and wrapped one of her arms over his cold shoulders. When Spencer stayed silent Echidna gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “You okay?” She asked.

“It’s just… sleeping in a new place.” Spencer started, and she didn’t miss the implication of another nightmare. She stayed quiet, giving him time. “It was… I dreamed of Tobias again… that’s probably not a surprise.” Spencer gave himself a bitter laugh and looked away. It was silent for another moment before he continued. “I hate thinking I’m past something only to have it come back.” Spencer began, looking away with an air of shame.

“Spencer, nobody expects you to be over this.” Echidna started, he pushed against her for a moment so she pulled him closer. “No, just listen to me for one minute.” She pleaded, so Spencer turned himself in her arms to face her. He looked so tired, and  _ scared.  _ “You know you never have to hide from me.” She told him. Spencer screwed his eyes shut tight when he felt them well up with tears. He was just so  _ sick  _ of being weak and crying, and Echidna had already seen enough of that part of him, so he turned away.

“I can’t keep leaning on you to pick up the pieces every time I fall apart. Every time I have a nightmare or flashback… you don’t have to keep me from spiraling, and I don’t wanna drag you down with me.” He mumbled this last part so quietly that he wasn’t completely sure she could hear it. But she must have, because as soon as the words left his mouth her grip on his hand tightened and she spun him around so quickly he could hardly process it before he was being pulled into a bone crushing hug.

“Spencer, I  _ want  _ to be there for you.” Echidna told him, gripping him tighter and burying her face in his curly head. “Everybody should have somebody they can rely on in times like this,” Echidna pulled away slightly and looked at him with pained eyes “and I am so sorry you spent so much time without that, and now you feel like you don’t deserve it.” She sensed he was about to look away again so she placed her hand on his face gently. “If I had known how much you needed me… if I had been there for you sooner…” She started, and Spencer’s eyes widened just a touch. 

“Echidna…” He whispered, starting to shake his head. But Echidna cut him off.

“No, I know it’s silly but… you were hurt.” She looked up slowly and traced his face, brushing his hair from in front of his eyes. “I love you, and I want to be there for you now. Please don’t push me away.” She begged him.

Spencer tried to blink back the tears that were coming to the surface but his didn’t work. He hiccupped out a single sob before going completely limp in her arms, letting himself fall to pieces as sobs wracked his body. Feeling everything at once, fear from a nightmare, exhaustion and trauma at what he’s been through, and all the incredibly overwhelming feelings that came with being this loved.

“I wanted to be stronger for you… I thought if all my issues got to be too much… you’d leave.” Spencer cried into her shoulder and Echidna shook her head.

“Oh angel, no, never.” She whispered to him. “When people love each other-- as much as I love you-- they stick with you, even when things look really dark.” Echidna promised him. “You  _ won’t  _ get better overnight, but I’m not gonna leave because of that.”

“What if I never get better?” Spencer asked, his eyes shaky and fearful. “What if I keep having nightmares and I start using again and go down this horrible path-”

“Then I’ll find you and bring you back.” She stated simply. And Spencer didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just buried his tear-stained face deeper in her shoulder. “You’re the person I love, you’re the person I’ll stick with no matter what. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall apart, I’ll always be here to put you back together.” Echidna promised, feeling spencer nod a little bit. “That’s what you do for the people you love. One day I’ll fall apart, and I’ll need  _ you _ to put me back together, right?” She asked, tilting her head a bit. And Spencer nodded again, this time more forcefully.

“I’ll be there.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Jason? What the hell are you doing here?” A familiar face opened the door to a large mansion, it was a modern style with something wonderful smelling cooking on the stove. “I haven’t seen you in years.”

“Can’t I stop by to say hi to my old partner?” Gideon started, but his friend didn’t miss the look on his face. “Do you have some time, Dave?” Jason asked, and Rossi nodded, moving aside to let his old friend back inside.

“You’re lucky I’m home today. My publicist wants a two paragraph dedication for this novel, no idea what I’m gonna write. I’ve been staring at a blank computer screen all day.” Rossi tried to laugh, but noticed Gideon movin as if he was tied. “What’s going on with you, Jason? I don’t see you for ages and you show up looking like somebody ran over your puppy.” He started fixing a plate of lunch for himself and his guest while Gideon rubbed his eyes.

“I’ve told you about my protege, right?” Gideon began, and Rossi nodded. “A genius, child prodigy. He was asked to work for us when he was only  _ sixteen _ … I was so proud of him…” Gideon trailed off.

“Did something change?” Rossi asked.

“No!.. well, yes?... in a way.” Gideon leaned forward and rubbed his eyes once again. “The kid practically raised himself, his piece of shit dad left him when he was ten to care for his schizophrenic mother. He graduated when he was twelve and got himself through college, got himself three doctorates-”

“Jason, I’m not seeing your point.” Rossi cut him off, he’d heard about Spencer before. Gideon rolled his eyes.

“He’s  _ fragile Dave.”  _ He began, and this remark got Rossi looking at him confused. “He’s only ever had himself, until I came along. I helped him out but… he’s anxious, he’s clumsy, nobody ever takes him seriously despite him being smarter than any two dopes put together. And now he’s got a this girlfriend who-”

“ _ Ooooh! That’s  _ what this is about.” Rossi nodded, understanding raking all over his features. Gideon looked at him confused and Dave just laughed. “You become a father figure to a boy with nobody, he becomes delighted, learns from you and you protect him and take on the role of his father. He grows up, gains some confidence and finds somebody to love and now you’re scared your little boy won’t need you anymore.” Rossi explained, and Gideon’s expression looked offended if nothing else.

“That’s not what this is about.” Gideon insisted. “I just don’t think she’s a good fit.”

“Why? What did she do to him?” Rossi asked. And Jason sat in silence for a moment. What  _ had  _ Echidna done other than make him happy?

“He’s not my  _ little boy.  _ He’s an adult and he’s not even my son.” Gideon insisted.

“Of course not.” Rossi agreed. “You just took care of him from a teenager and offered guidance when he had none, worked for a relationship with a strong bond and put time and effort into it. You’re more than his  _ dad,  _ Jason. A dad can be any idiot who got someone pregnant, you  _ chose  _ to be there for him.”

“I did a lousy job.” Gideon began, as images of Spencer on that computer monitor at the hands of Hankel flooded his brain. Being beaten, drugged...  _ killed.  _ All on a job Gideon dragged him into. Echidna wasn’t there, she never saw his broken body on those cameras. How could she possibly comprehend the horror he  _ had to be protected from.  _

“You have to trust him, Gideon. If you don’t you’ll end up pushing him away.” Rossi tried, and Gideon pondered this, but couldn’t detach himself from those memories.

The resulting year was almost as bad as the few days Spencer spent at Hankel’s mercy. His drug addiction, the ptsd. Each time Gideon looked at him he saw those giant eyes holding so much horror. Each time he looked at his son something in his face screamed  _ “how could you let this happen to me?”  _ He thought he’d be harder on Spencer, then maybe he could just be pushed past all of this, and Gideon wouldn’t have to deal with crippling guilt every time he saw Reid’s eyes gloss over when he was trapped in a flashback. Selfish, and Gideon knew that. So he’d pull away from Spencer, after all how could he be a part of his recovery when it was all his fault? All of this was his fault. Spencer’s capture, his addiction, all of it. Because he let Spencer go into danger, because he  _ trusted  _ that he’d be okay.

“There are so many factors that go into this… things that can hurt him. I can’t let that happen, Dave. I should go.” Gideon spoke, and rose from his chair, having not touched the lunch his friend gave to him and not hearing a word of his advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think and what you might want to see in later chapters!!!!


	5. Promises on Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a cute chapter of Spencer and Echidna having a fun time together on their Egypt trip! I was so happy that everyone likes Echidna I worked really hard on her charecter to try and make her fit well with Spencer and I hope you guys enjoy the fun chapter before we get into the story!  
> And don't be too hard on Gideon! I know he's being super unreasonable in the story right now but keep reading! Things are about to get more interesting, so let me know what you think about this chapter, it's supposed to be fun and cute and I worked really hard on it! I finished my first egyptology class so I couldn't help but adding some fun facts, that's why I made them visit their in the first place lmao, Enjoy!!!  
> Please comment if you'd like!

Spencer yawned and let his eyes open groggily, the sun was rising and the morning oranges and pinks were shining through the balcony window. He smiled a little bit and nestled into the comfy pillow, remembering the hugs that had occurred out there the night before, and the promise he made her.  _ I’ll be there. _ And he would, whenever the time came along that she might need him, he’d be there.

“Are you awake yet?” Echidna’s voice hovered above him before she planted a kiss on his temple. Spencer yawned once again and nodded.

“It’s only sunrise?” Spencer asked, rubbing his eye and sitting up. His girlfriend nodded.  _ His girlfriend. _ Who loved him back and wanted to be with him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever know what that felt like, but here he was.

“Yeah, we’re on western time. Hopefully we don’t crash later. This’ll help.” Echidna handed him a cup of coffee and the genius took it eagerly. “Had to run out and find some, I have no idea what kind it is the labels were in Arabic.” She told him with a smile. Echidna scooted on the bed and sat next to him with her coffee and the couple stayed like that for a while.

“How much time do we have before the lecture tours start?” Echidna asked. Spencer dug around on the hotel nightstand for the packet of papers he had and began looking over them.

“We have two hours before I have to be there, and then I’ll meet you and your aunt.” Spencer explained, and Echidna gave him a big smile.

“That’s plenty of time, come on.” Echidna didn’t give him much warning before scooping him up in bridal style. Spencer’s eyes widened for a minute and he blushed a bit, he was so much more lithe than her, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to how easy it was for her to pick him up and carry him. But to be honest, he really liked it.

“Ehehe… what do you know, I didn’t think I’d be that easy to manhandle.” He stated, making Echidna roll her eyes.

“Really? I’ve done this enough that I thought you’d get it by now.” She smiled and carried him out the door, making it to the stairs before Spencer started to squirm and she let him down. As they got to the top floor, Echidna pulled him forward out on the hotel roof and sat him down on one of the benches.

“Breakfast with a view.” She explained, gesturing out to the skyline view of the whole city. They saw the sun begin to come into full view from over the horizon.

“And I thought the stars last night were a great view.” Spencer smiled that big crooked grin that made her want to cover him in kisses until she got his big brain to short circuit out. He felt her poke his arm with something and he smiled at her offering of a wrapped up sandwich.

“The convenience store with the coffee had sandwiches. Eat up.” She told him, unwrapping her own sandwich with way too much cheese and chicken. They sat there for a while until the sun was too bright to look at.

“Thanks for the breakfast, and the coffee, and for being so nice last night…” Spencer told her, a smile playing on his lips. “Did you know you wanted to take me up here when we picked out a hotel?” He asked, and Echidna nodded.

“I wanted to make this trip special for you, it’s not often enough you get time off from your job.” She told him, and Spencer leaned his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes for a minute before an idea popped into his head.

“Well we should start getting ready, you don’t wanna keep your aunt waiting, and I can't be late for the first day.” Spencer told her, kissing her head and pulling her away from the sun that was growing increasingly hotter.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It was really nice to have you here, Dr. Reid, I’ve heard of your work, it’s quite admirable.” Dr. Hassan-- a global historian with a friendly smile-- told him. The compliment made Spencer blush and he just gave a dismissive shrug regarding his own work. “Are you sure you can’t stay for Dr. Calica’s lecture on Hieroglyphs?” She asked and Spencer shook his head.

“I have plenty more lectures to attend, but this is the only time I can slip away with my girlfriend getting suspicious.” He explained with traces of a devious smile. Dr. Hassan smiled and bid him goodbye as the lanky doctor stumbled clumsily from the building.

Later down the street from the Egyptology center Spencer had his face held close to a window with many items on display. “Do you see anything you like?” A saleswoman asked, and if Spencer was anybody else who hadn’t studied language and nations (and remembered it all perfectly) he wouldn’t have been able to subconsciously recognize her accent from south Pakistan.

“How do you like living here?” Spencer asked, before clapping a hand over his mouth, worried he’d been too forward and would now be pegged as rude. He’d meant to just think that to himself. But the girl smiled.

“I like it a lot! I moved here with my husband a few years ago, we opened the shop. What about you? You don’t look Egyptian or Middle Eastern.” She smiled and earned a laugh from Spencer.

“I’m just a tourist for now.” He explained. “It’s only been a day and I’ve just seen this city so far, but it’s wonderful. Back in my part of America there’s more light pollution from all sides of my city, so I was shocked when I saw the stars last night.” He explained.

“My husband was originally from Lahore, that’s big and populated, so there was a lot of man-made light. He was pretty taken back by the stars too.” She explained. The two talked for a moment more before Spencer remembered why he was there.

“Oh right! I was wondering if you could help me find a gift for somebody.” He requested. The shopkeeper ushered him inside and he looked over the items.

“What were you thinking of getting?” She asked, and Spencer realized he was a little clueless in this regard.

“I… I actually don’t know.” He admitted. “We came here together because I was asked to participate in a lecture tour, and she’s part Egyptian and has family here, so it seemed like a fun thing to do together. But she’s not very focused on culture, a little bit but it’s just not the most important thing to her, y’know? So I’d hate to get her something I think would be sentimental but find that it means nothing.” He explained, and she nodded. “But l still want it to be a special reminder of the time we spent together here.”

“I think I have a few things that she might like.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Spence! You’re late!” Echidna spotted her favorite curly head enter the cafe where they intended on meeting her family. “Luckily my aunt is too. Probably should have expected this from her.” She jabbed playfully. But she noted Spencer's excited expression as he sat down next to her as close as he could get, just staring with a dopey smile. “What’s up with you?” She asked, smiling at his energy.

“I have something for you.” He told her simply. But before she could ask a question he spoke up again. “Close your eyes.” He commanded. Echidna laughed but did as she was told, feeling his hands take hers very carefully and slip what was obviously a ring onto her finger. She noted him shaking a little bit and realized how much getting her something special must have meant to him in this moment.

When she opened her eyes she couldn’t help the gasp that came out. On her hand was a beautiful golden ring with an ankh, it was lined with emeralds and the space on the symbol’s top was filled with a piece of lapis lazuli. “Spencer…” She whispered.

“D-do you like it?” He asked nervously. Echidna put a hand to her face and felt like she might cry.

“It’s beautiful, you picked this out for me?” She mused, and Spencer gave a shy nod.

“Well I was always told when you give a girl a promise ring or engagement ring it should be a diamond. But apparently emeralds and lapis lazuli were highly regarded in Egypt for a long time. And then I saw this one and I couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful you are- I mean  _ it _ was!” Spencer flushed bright red and Echidna laughed at the comment. “I just… I thought you’d like it… also you tend to wear a lot of green so that was another reason…” He turned his reddening face away, but Echidna pulled it back to give him a deep kiss, drawing a quiet sigh from Spencer as his eyes fell shut.

“A promise ring, huh?” She asked, pulling away with a smile. “You must be pretty serious about us?” She put on a teasing tone to see how much she could make him blush. Spencer nodded, feeling a little nervous now.

“I mean… if-if you’d… um…” Spencer shook his head for a minute to snap out of it and nodded. “Yeah. I’m really serious. I want to always be there for you, and I wanted you to have something to show for it.” He told her, giving a confident and happy smile, before pulling her into another kiss.

“It’s perfect, Spencer.” She told him. “You know I’ve always loved gemstones.” Echidna mused, looking at her new favorite item decorating her hand. “How long have emeralds and lapis lazuli’s been around?” She asked, knowing her Spencer would have a statistical answer, and she’d get to see his eyes light up when he started on a rant.

“Well for emeralds to form the temperature has to be in the range of 400-500 degrees centigrade and the pressure has to be approximately 7.5 to 21.75 tons per square inch. And while they’re found all over the world and were valued in Egypt, they form more commonly in Colombia, Madagascar, Canada, Zambia and Brazil and were traded for throughout the years. Judging by the apparent density and color I’d say these specific ones were mined in Columbia. While they can be synthetically produced in 50 to 70 days, these ones are natural and I’d say formed about…” Spencer stopped his rambling to squint at the ring, “no less than two hundred million years. Which actually is very young for a gemstone! Especially those in the beryl classification.” Spencer took a breath when he finished his info dumping and Echidna reveled in the proud look he had on his face.

“And the lapis?” She asked, and Spencer squished his mouth shut.

“I never got to finish my geology book, I got called away on a case… I don’t know.” He mumbled, making Echidna laugh and press a kiss to his forehead.

“I won’t tell anybody.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment if you'd like! I always appreciate them!


	6. Do you trust me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey back has a few road blocks.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, sorry if its a little short but I worked very hard on it! Let me know what you think!

“Are you ready to go?” Echidna put her arms around Spencer as he looked out across the view from the top floor of the airport.

“No. This trip has been so wonderful.” He practically swooned in her arms spinning around to hold himself close to the taller woman. It felt so nice to be held like this, close to her and he could bury his head in her shoulder and feel  _ safe.  _

“We’ll come back one day. Maybe for a honeymoon.” She stated offhandedly, and Spencer’s face burned bright red as he hid his face from anyone who might see. “Come on, I don’t wanna be stuck on a layover cause we missed our flight.” She explained, and the happy couple held hands, making their way through the Egypt airport. Blissfully unaware of two sets of prying eyes at a cafe table less than one hundred feet from them.

“You sure that’s the girl?” One man asked, careful not to glance at the couple or make any motion that would call attention to themselves. “Hedgehog?”

“Yeah, that’s the one… and it’s Echidna you dumbass. Gamila’s daughter.” The other man noted a picture of an older woman was tucked in the magazine he was pretending to read. “Boyfriend’s an FBI agent.”

“That’s gonna complicate things.”

“Not if we know how to use it.”

“We gotta catch the next flight back home. I don’t wanna risk that smart one seeing us.”

“It’s not him we gotta worry about.”

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“Only you could go to Egypt and not get tan at all, Pretty boy.” Derek ruffled Spencer’s head and the younger man gave a grumble.

“How was your trip, 187?” Garcia asked urgently. And a smile bloomed on Reid’s face.

“It was so wonderful!” He spun around in his chair. “We went everywhere, I learned so much, I met her aunt and bought her a ring and then-”

“Woah, woah, a  _ ring?” _ Morgan asked, leaning forward, and Spencer rolled his eyes.

“Not that kind of ring. It’s only been a few months. It was just a special gift.” He dismissed it, but Morgan wasn’t buying it. He nudged his friends and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Sounds like a big deal to me, pretty boy.” he teased, and Spencer gave him a playful shove away.

“Well if you  _ must _ know, it was a big deal. But it still wasn’t an engagement ring.” He laughed, before looking around the bullpen. “Where’s Gideon?”

“Good question, he’s been sort of awol all week.” Garcia rolled her eyes. “Showed up for the two cases we were sent on, but he’s been sort of-”

“A dick.” Moran huffed.

“I was going to say grumpy. But he took the morning off.” Garcia cut in, and then noticed the way Spencer sighed and let his shoulders drop. “Hey boy-wonder, I’m sure he’s just working on whatever issues he’s got going on, it’s got nothing to do with you.” She promised, and the young genius smiled.

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_ Say you’re sorry, say you love you Spencer like he was your own son, and you overreacted. It’s not that hard. Tell her she makes him happy, and that’s all you care about, just start over. You’ve done worse stuff than judge somebody unfairly.  _ Gideon’s thoughts ran wild as he stood in the doorway to Echidna’s auto shop, the sign read “Quick Fix Auto”, and it made him laugh a little for whatever reason.

He wasn’t sure he was ready to trust, he just felt too protective over Spencer. But Rossi was right, he was pushing Spencer away, being too hard on him at work and too distant in their personal lives. And if he didn’t stop soon and get a grip, he was gonna lose his little boy.

Gideon grimaced when he recalled turning Spencer down when the boy asked for a game of chess, to try and talk through some of the issues arising. But he was gonna make it right one step at a time.

“Echidna?” Gideon knocked on the door to the auto shop, the garage was open and the hood to one of the cars was popped. But nobody was in sight. “Echidna, it’s Gideon, I was wondering if we could…” Gideon trailed off when he walked around to the front of the car, tools were strewn around like they were dropped and oil was leaking from the car. Something wasn’t right. “Echidna!” He called, turning to try and find any direction of struggle. A filing cabinet on the other side of the garage had been kicked on its side and papers were everywhere. When he ran over to take a quick look he froze, hearing muffled noises of struggle coming from somewhere below him.

He stayed quiet, careful not to alert any unsub that he might be here, as he pressed his ear to the oily, dirty floor. There was kicking from below. He saw chains sticking out from the wall and pushed aside a piece of scrap metal to reveal a cellar-style door. After he hoisted it open he heard a clear voice.

“Whoever's there  _ fuck off!”  _ Echidna yelled, and he heard her struggle against what sounded like more chains.

“Echidna it’s me, what happe-” But before he could get the words out a blinding pain assaulted him. He stumbled forward before passing out, falling down the storage space stairs. Echidna gasped when she saw the bloodied gash on the back of his head, and threw a dirty look at the assailant, who was now walking down the steps slowly.

“Now we know you’re a liar, Echidna.” He smiled, picking Gideon up by his collar and throwing his unconscious body to the floor next to her. “Now we know there are more coming.”

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“This isn’t right. He never just doesn’t show up.” Spencer fidgeted and looked at the clock again. But he felt as though Hotch wasn’t listening. “I’m serious, Hotch something is the matter.” Reid told him, his hands wringing nervously.

“He’s been letting his emotions muddle his job for a while now, maybe he just needs some time to cool off.” Hotch suggested, no animosity in his tone. he noted Spencer’s nervous expression and took out his phone. “I’ll give him a call.” He told the young agent, and Spencer nodded, taking out his own phone as well.

He texted Echidna, he wasn't sure why, he was anxious and just wanted to hear from her. But when he got a response he felt even more anxious. “Something definitely wrong.” He mumbled, this time the rest of the team from the bullpen looking at him.

“Reid, what’s the matter?” Derek asked, and Spencer handed him his phone with the text.

“Whoever just texted me is  _ not  _ Echidna.” He said, more sure of himself than Morgan has ever seen. The text was fairly simple, in response to Spencer’s comment of being concerned for the whereabouts of his mentor, the so-called-Echidna responded  _ ‘it’ll be okay, honey’. _

“She calls me a lot of things but she doesn’t call me honey, and she doesn't dismiss me like that either.” Spencer insisted, and the team looked over as Hotch hung up his phone.

“Gideon’s not answering. Somethings definitely wrong.” He stated. “Go get Garcia, have her track Gideon and Echidna’s phones.” He told Prentiss, who nodded and ran off quickly. Before going to follow he placed a hand on Spencer’s shoulder. “We’ll find them both, Reid.”

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Gideon’s vision was blurry as he came to. The room was so dark and dirty even without his head pounding and his vision swimming he couldn’t see much. But the first thing he registered was the feeling of being tied up against someone’s back. He jerked when everything came rushing back and he tried to squirm in his restraints.

“You awake?” Echidna asked, and Gideon let out a long sigh.

“Yeah.”

“What are you doing here?” She gave a confused expression even though he couldn’t see it.

“I needed to talk to you… what are those guys doing here?” He asked, and Echidna closed her eyes for a minute.

“Just some friends.” She mumbled darkly, and Gideon shook his head, grinding his teeth.

“I knew it… I  _ knew _ you were bad news from the minute I saw you!” He snapped, making the young girl roll her eyes. “Of course, of course you’d have shady people after you, you owe them money or something-”

“Hey screw you!” Echidna finally snapped. “You don’t even know what’s going on so how about for once you _stop talking!”_ She yelled at him. Not caring if their assailants heard, they were already tied up and defenseless anyway. “These aren’t even my enemies, I inherited them! You hate me for whatever reason since the minute I showed up and I wanna know why!” She demanded, throwing her head back to hit him just to drive the point hom that she was pissed.

“I didn’t-” But Echidna didn’t let him finish.

“I mean you’re arrogant but not stupid so I don’t think you’re racist or sexist.”

“It’s not-” And once again she cut him off.

“Is it because of the motorcycle? God! I was just trying to look cool! I hated driving the stupid thing anyway I just liked the way Spencer had to hold onto me…” She muttered that part. “Is it the-”

“Echidna shut up!” Gideon yelled, jerking the restraints to tug at them both. “It has nothing to do with you! Nothing at all!” He practically screamed. The two fell silent for a moment.

“Then what is it?” She asked, much more calm. And Gideon closed his eyes for a moment.

“It’s Spencer.” Was all he said, and she fell quiet, waiting for him to continue. “You know I met him before the academy? When he was just a kid?” Gideon started. “He was only twelve and he ran into me at the bus station when I was working a case in Vagas, literally barrelled right into me. He was holding a book that probably weighed more than he did he was so…  _ small. _ ” He took a breath. “Just this tiny thing. He kept saying that he missed his bus and he had to get home real fast, he looked like he was about to cry. I asked him what was the matter and he started saying that he was supposed to be there to make sure she took her medication… he must have been talking about his mother… so I gave him a ride home. I know it probably looked weird a grown man giving a little boy he’d never met a ride home, but he was freaking out and it felt wrong to leave him to take the bus alone. I brought him home and he said ‘thank you good man’.” Gideon and Echidna both laughed at that. “When he was little his brain would go so fast his mouth just couldn’t keep up, and he’d say nonsense.”

“If you get him worked up enough about a certain subject, he still does that.” Echidna admitted, and Gideon couldn’t help but laugh, thinking about the time he’d poked and prodded Reid about chess until he said ‘calculate move and it goes’. Spencer had then covered his mouth with his hand, his face burned red and he stayed quiet the rest of the night.

“Yeah… it’s sweet.” Gideon smiled a little. 

“One time I got him rambling about video format, and it took about an hour but I eventually got him to yell ‘on screen the picture’!” Echidna told him, and the older man laughed before falling quiet again.

“You know I watched him on a computer monitor. The whole time he was kidnapped by Hankel. I watched him get tortured and drugged and broken and I couldn’t save him. And then he got back… and I was too weak to help him… I couldn’t look in his eyes and see all that pain and think… I did that. So I let him down.” Gideon swallowed hard. “And then he started coming back and I… I’d already lost it… now everyday he falls more and more in love with you and if his heart gets broken I-I don’t think he’d be able to bounce back. You can only break somebody so many times before they… He’s my little boy, Echidna, I want him to be safe. And I want him to be happy. And I’m so sorry I’ve treated you so poorly because I can’t deal with my own… bullshit.” He sighed heavily.

Echidna sat in silence for a while. “Gideon… you’re not a bad person for any of that… just confused.” She decided. “But you’re gonna lose Spencer if you keep this up, he’s torn apart by this all he thinks about is…” She trailed off, biting her lip and not wanting to further upset the battered man behind her.

“Thinks about what?” Gideon asked, and he heard Echidna sigh.

“... Why his dad doesn’t love him anymore.” She told him, and she felt the older man deflate. “Look I’ve dealt with these guys before, and I do not want Spencer putting himself in danger to try and save us.” She started.

“That we can agree on.” Gideon nodded mostly to himself.

“So I think I know how to get out of here, but the only way it’s gonna work is if you trust me.” She told him, and the profiler nodded.

“I trust you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! It always encourages me to write more! I hope you liked the story so far!! let me now if you want more and I'll update sooner!!


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